After game 6 of the epic Heat-Pacers series, my mind was filled with tidbits I wanted to write about heading into the finale tomorrow night. The subplots were so juicy; was Lance Stephenson's newfound ability to positively impact the game without scoring an outlier or an indicator of things to come; how would Birdman's return impact the game; was Spoelstra's decision to play Mike Miller (who by my count is 3-3 in the series, all 3 of those shots being 3 pointers) for several minutes a sign that the coach is finally not brain dead, or was it just a tease; why did David West come up clutch in game 6 with a 103 degree fever, while he choked away game 1 and faded in game 3 while healthy; is Dwayne Wade's time as an elite player over; will LeBron finally be forced to use Rogaine if the NBA ever bans headbands? All important questions.
And then Game of Thrones happened. For those who haven't yet seen episode 9, stop reading. In all my years of watching television, this was the most shocking episode of any television show I have ever seen. In terms of plot twists, this episode was nonpareil. The audience was hoodwinked, bamboozled, cast afoul, led astray, run amok, tossed asunder, and any other Malcom X term you can think of. Just as it seemed that Robb Stark was finally about to turn the tables on the despicable (and brilliant) Tywin Lannister, when it seemed like the Stark-Fray alliance was reborn, with his uncle marrying a beautiful Fray girl and Lord Fray seeming to forgive Robb, with his pregnant wife at his side and his sister literally at the gates, it all went to hell. I am not going to even attempt to describe the massacre that took place, because words could never do that scene justice; everyone must see it.
I am writing because of the shocking emotive response I had to the show; I watched with my roommate, and we were both left with our mouths agape; neither of us could even say anything for the last few minutes of the episode, as the horrifying carnage was unfolding. When the episode ended, I felt emotionally drained; apparently the finality of death, even of tv characters (albeit ones I had clearly come to "know" and care about), was enough to move me. I felt sick.
A friend called several minutes after the credits, and expressed his similar sentiments. The sheer cruelty and cynicism on display in the episode hit too close to home. There is not a soul alive who cannot relate to losing big when things seem to finally be going right. George R.R. Martin's work is so good because he understands the human emotional spectrum; he understands that we are programmed to want the good guy to triumph in the end, but that in reality, it doesn't happen that way. In Martin's view, life is not a triumph; it is a cruel, unfair march to the grave that can end when we least expect it. Seeing the pregnant Queen of the North have her pregnant belly stabbed, seeing Robb stabbed and betrayed, seeing Catlyn get her throat slit, and seeing the great wolf cut down with arrows, were all reminders that nothing is promised. The great irony of Robb Stark's character is that he never lost a battle, but he lost the war. Catlyn Stark meanwhile went to the grave after having seen her eldest son murdered, while not knowing if any other member of her brood was still alive. It is hard not to sympathize with a family with noble intentions, absolutely torn apart by greed, lust, and betrayal.
Several of my friends use the expression "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it isn't the end." George R.R. Martin is clearly not a subscriber to such a theory, and his ability to viscerally touch viewers and readers speaks to our own insecurities; deep down, we all know that the end is not "okay", but that the end, necessarily means death. Martin plays on our fears and insecurities, confronting us and taking us out of our comfort zones. Most tv shows don't allow their prime characters to be killed, fearing the audience will lose interest (The Wire was an exception, with Omar and Stringer Bell's respective deaths stunning audiences). Game of Thrones lets viewers occasionally think that happily ever after does exist, only to pull the carpet out from under us in a most cruel fashion. I can't wait for the season finale.
Outstanding review David. It crushed my world as well.
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